styuki
neologist
- 13 Aug 2010
- 13
- 0
- 11
Do you find any difference in nuances between those two expressions? I feel that I hear "native language" more often than "first language."
Russian is my wife's first acquired language, and she is better at Russian than any other languages. However, she does not like it very much when someone refers to Russian as her "native" language because she is not Russian ethnically. Since her country became independent from USSR, her tribal language, which she acquired as a second language, is currently spoken in the country as the only official language. Aside from her emotional issues, does "native language" sound more ethnic-oriented than "first language" to the ear of native English speakers?
Russian is my wife's first acquired language, and she is better at Russian than any other languages. However, she does not like it very much when someone refers to Russian as her "native" language because she is not Russian ethnically. Since her country became independent from USSR, her tribal language, which she acquired as a second language, is currently spoken in the country as the only official language. Aside from her emotional issues, does "native language" sound more ethnic-oriented than "first language" to the ear of native English speakers?